


Cherry Bomb//Damian Wayne x OC

by PersonaShadowEgo



Series: The Pretty Reckless [3]
Category: Batman - Fandom, DCU
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2021-02-23 09:04:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23009035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PersonaShadowEgo/pseuds/PersonaShadowEgo
Summary: “Yeah, I am.” I said with a raspy voice. Anyone in their right mind could tell something was off by the sound of my voice. He lowered his gun slightly before looking around, his gaze shifting between me, my clothes, and the large blood stain on the bed. He seemed to piece everything together and he sighed, putting away his gun.“Jesus kid, I know you’re crazy, but why the hell would you agree to this?” He asked. My grip on the blanket tightened and my gaze fell.“I didn’t.”
Relationships: Damian Wayne/Original Character(s), Damian Wayne/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Pretty Reckless [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651399
Kudos: 21





	1. Cherry Bomb

“Well hello Batsy! Fancy meeting you here!” My dad called out to Batman. We were at an old ship dock and my dad, The Joker, was standing out in the open, Batman and Robin in fighting stances in front of him. I was hidden up above between some of the storage crates, waiting for my cue. It was my first time acting as my dad’s protege and I couldn’t be more excited. It took months of convincing and he finally agreed to give me a test shot.

“What are you planning Joker? You’ve never gone anywhere without your goons before.” Batman said. My dad laughed and I flinched. His laugh was intimidating, even to me.

“I’m not planning anything! I just wanted to give my new protege a fair test run.” My dad said. That was my cue! I pressed a button on my iPod and Cherry Bomb started playing from the speakers my dad rigged up. I threw a smoke bomb in between my dad and the Bats, vibrant red smoke spilling out of it.

“Quite a flair for the dramatic! She gets it’s from me!” My dad laughed. I heard Batman and Robin coughing from the smoke. I ran to the edge of the store crate I was on and sumersaulted off of it, landing in front of the two heroes. I whipped out the powder gun my mom gave me awhile ago and aimed it at the capes, a confetti capsule loaded. I waited for the smoke to clear slightly so the capes could see me. Their eyes widened at the sight of a kid Robin’s age aiming a bazooka sized gun straight at them.

“I’m your ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch CHERRY BOMB!” I sang with the song before winking and pulling the trigger. Batman and Robin stumbled back when a confetti bomb exploded in their faces. I did a backflip and landed next to my dad. He patted me on the shoulder.

“What an entrance my little cherry bomb! You certainly know how to make this entertaining!” He said. I smiled widely.

“Thank you daddy!” I said in my high-pitched voice, my mom’s accent shining through. Batman brushes confetti off of himself.

“Since when did you have a daughter Joker.” Batman said. Robin was still trying to shake confetti out of his hair.

“Well obviously! Since…..uh, how old are you again?” My dad asked me. I narrowed my eyes at him.

“15. I’m 15 dad.” I said flatly.

“Yes! That’s right! That’s how long!” Dad said. Batman didn’t show much emotion on his face but I could tell he wasn’t amused. 

“Tt. Looks like a wannabe Harley Quinn to me. Maybe she’s as dumb as her too.” Robin said, looking me up and down. I immediately aimed my gun at him, my face burning red.

“Don’t talk about my mom like that! She has a PhD motherfucker!” I yelled. My dad laughed, pushing the barrel of my gun down.

“Well, after I dumped Harley, it was no fun commuting crimes on my own. So after a little makeover, I created Cherry Bomb.” My dad said gesturing to me. I crossed my arms.

“You didn’t dumb her. Mom left and blew up your lair.” I said. I immediately felt a sharp pain and looked down to see my dad had thrown a knife in it to get me to shut up. “Ow! Ow! Ow! Knifeinmyfoot!” I said, hopping on one foot and trying to get the knife out of the other.

“You’re putting your kid in danger.” Batman said darkly. I finally got the knife out of my foot and threw it to the side, my shoe staining red.

“You’re one to talk Batsy! What is this, Robin number 5?” My dad said. Robin scowled and pulled out his katana. I tugged on my dad’s sleeve.

“Dad, can I just fight them already?” I whined. He had been monologuing too long and I was getting bored. My dad laughed.

“Knock yourself out.” He said stepping back.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, a crazed smile on my face. I loaded a powder cartridge into my gun and aimed it at the capes. “I’M GONNA BLOW YOU TO KINGDOM COME!” I yelled. I pulled the trigger and the cartridge went flying, exploding into green powder. Batman and Robin went into action. Robin ran towards me with his katana raised and I met him half way. When he swung his katana down I caught it in between my left arm and the blade fit into my arm, blood dripping from it. Robin’s eyes went wide and he tugged on it, trying to get it out of my grasp, but I held onto it tightly. I smirked.

“Nice sword.” I said. I shifted my body weight and jumped up, launching my foot into the sword. The blade broke in half and Robin stumbles back slightly. I threw the blade aside and ran towards Robin. Before he could react, I grabbed onto his arm and threw my body up, almost like a backflip except I was still holding his arm, so I took him down with me. He slammed onto the ground with a groan and I turned him over, straddling his waist. I wrapped my hands around throat choking him. He struggled some before grabbing my braid and pulling on it harshly.

“Ow! No fair!” I yelled, instinctively bringing my hands up to my head. Suddenly I was flipped over and slammed into the ground, my head spinning slightly. Robin was on top of me, pinning my arms beside my head. I had to admit, from this angle he was super attractive, and I could feel how strong his thighs were. He had a scowl on his face and I smirked up at him.

“Woah, at least take me on a date first.” I said. It might have just been a trick of the light, but I swear I saw his cheeks go red as his hold on me somewhat loosened. I shot up and head butted him, making him fall off me. I rolled away from him before loading my powder gun again. Balancing on my knee, I shot the capsule towards Robin. It exploded on his chest, making him fly back and covering him with fine glitter. He looked over himself before groaning loudly.

“Dammit! This is the stuff that never goes away!” He yelled. I laughed loudly.

“Damn right it is!” I exclaimed. I heard my dad laugh. I looked over and saw him fighting Batman, which do wasn’t fair. He was supposed to be just watching while I took them down! I pulled a pair of brass knuckles out of my belt and ran towards them. I don’t have a very strong punch, so I need a bit of a damage booster.

“Hey! You’re s’posed to be fighting me!” I yelled, jumping up just in time to land a punch to Batman’s face. I aimed a roundhouse kick towards him but as I was about to make contact, he grabbed my foot. My eyes widened. “Uh oh.” I said. He spun me around before flinging me into the nearest storage crate. I rolled on the floor and groaned, feeling blood running from my nose. Dammit the Bat must’ve broken it. Suddenly I felt a knee on my back and my hands were pulled behind me. I turned my head to see Robin putting cuffs on me. I squirmed around trying to get him off of me, but he wouldn’t budge. I heard my dad sigh.

“Oh what a disappointment this was. I thought you’d be able to handle this Cherry, but oh well.” Dad said. He threw a can of his laughing gas down, making Batman and Robin jump away from us. He grabbed me by the arm and ran off, dragging me behind him.

  
  
  
  
  


Back at dad’s “lair”, and I use that term loosely because now it was just a pile of rubble being rebuilt, one of dad’s goons was wrapping the stab wound on my foot while my dad was instructing builders. Nobody had bothered to fix my nose though, so it was a bit crooked. I would fix it myself, but I never learned how to fix a broken nose. My dad finished commanding the builders and he came back over to me.

“I’m disappointed Cherry, you told me you were ready. But that didn’t look like ready to me.” My dad said. I lowered my head slightly.

“Tulip.” I mumbled. My dad raised an eyebrow.

“Come again?” He asked. I sighed.

“My name isn’t Cherry. It’s Tulip.” I said. My dad waved his hand.

“Whatever. I’ve got enough to worry about with rebuilding the lair, so I can’t handle a sloppy sidekick.” He said. I gasped and stood up quickly.

“You’re demoting me?!” I asked, ignoring the pain in my foot. He was talking to builders again.

“Technically yes. But you can do whatever you want with this new persona.” He said. I hugged and stormed off to what was my room. It was always like this with dad. I had to earn his love and respect. If I couldn’t earn it, it wasn’t given. So I needed a way to earn his respect. As his daughter and as his protege. I paced around my room trying to think of something I could do to impress dad. What would mom do? Dad liked her, and he actually considered her a sidekick. I stopped in my tracks and a big smile grew on my face.

“I have the best idea!” I said.

  
  


I would steal the Batmobile.


	2. What The Hell

“Man no wonder everybody loves driving, this is so much fun!” I yelled, taking a sharp turn around a street corner. While Batman was beating up some bad guy, I stole the Batmobile and was taking it for a joyride. As I was blatantly ignoring the speed limit, several cop cars had begun to chase me and I even heard a news chopper above. I grabbed my hand gun and turned behind me, shooting the wheel on the closest cop car. It spun and crashed into a fire hydrant, the other cop cars swerving to avoid it and crashing into each other. I was zooming past the buildings in Gotham, driving to a specific location. One hand still on the wheel, I pulled my phone out and dialed my dad. He picked up after a couple of rings.

“This better be quick, I’m in the middle of something.” He said, gun shots in the background.

“Meet me in the abandoned parking garage on 24th in 7 minutes. I have something you’ll really really want to see!” I said excitedly, shooting at the newest cop car that was tailing me. I heard my dad sigh.

“Alright, Alright, I’ll be there.” He said before hanging up. I tossed my phone in the seat beside me. A bright light shined down on me and I looked up to see the chopper had a search light on me. I opened the hood of the car and stood up, bracing myself. I heaved the bazooka I stole from my dad’s arsenal into my shoulder, the wind blowing my braids behind me. I aimed the bazooka at the chopper.

“Say hello to Tank!” I screamed, launching the bazooka. It hit the chopper spot on, making it explode and crash into the nearest building. I laughed and plopped back down in the drivers seat. Before I could close the hood, an R shaped shuriken stuck into the dashboard in front of me. I turned to see Robin on a motorcycle hot on my tail. I smiled widely.

“Hey bird boy! We match!” I said. Robin scowled.

“You’re gonna regret stealing the Batmobile.” He said. I put my finger on my chin and pretended to think.

“Hmmmm, I don’t think so.” I said darkly. I jerked the steering wheel to the left, making the car spin a complete 360. While the car was backwards, I aimed my hand gun at Robin’s motorcycle. Smirking, I shot the front wheel, making the cycle swerve and Robin tumbled off. The car was facing front again and I cackled as I increased my speed. If Robin was chasing me then Batman wasn’t far behind him, and I needed to meet up with my dad before he caught up. I caught sight of the abandoned parking garage and I turned quickly. Not slowing down, I sped through the security gate into the garage. I turned the car quickly so it was drifting sideways and crashed into the wall. I groaned, feeling blood trickle down my forehead. I forced the car door open and tumbled out just as Batman and Robin caught up. I scrambled up, looking around for my dad. 

“You really are dumb.” Robin said, crossing his arms and glaring at me. I held my hand gun with both hands, slightly dizzy from hitting my head in the crash. I looked around frantically, trying to find my dad. My face fell.

“I don’t get it. He was supposed to be here, he said he would be here.” I said to myself. I was absent mindlessly walking around, seeing if he was just waiting to jump out and surprise Batman, but my excitement faded once I realized he wasn’t there.

“Who was supposed to be here Quinzel?” Batman asked firmly, almost directly behind me now. I shook my head, pulling out my phone.

“My dad.” I said, dialing his number. It went to voicemail and I dialed again. He picked up this time.

“What can I do for you pudding cup?” My dad asked.

“Dad where are you? You said you would meet me at the parking garage!” I said. I heard my dad talking to someone in the background.

“Oh I’m sorry pudding cup, I forgot!” He said. My fist clenched slightly and my headache got worse.

“But I wanted to show you somethi-“

“I need to go pudding cup, the Legion of Doom is having its annual meeting.”

“At least look on the news! I’m-“

“The news? I’d never watch those phoney reporters! They always give Batman more screen time than me! I gotta go, love you pudding cup!” My dad said before hanging up. I slowly brought the phone down from my ear.

“Love you too.” I said quietly. I was crushed. This was the biggest heist I’ve ever pulled off and he’s too busy to even care. 

“I assume Joker won’t be joining us.” Batman said. I shook my head no, before tossing the Batmobile keys to Batman. He caught them with a confused look on his face. 

“You can have your stupid car back. I don’t need it anymore.” I mumbled. I out my hand gun away and started heading towards home. I was limping slightly due to my foot still hurting from when my dad threw a knife in it. The cut on my head had stopped bleeding and was now caked in dried blood. I sighed knowing it was gonna take a lot longer to get home like this.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“There you are Cherry Bomb! I have a job for you!” My dad said as I pumped into his “lair”. My face lit up. There’s no way he could ignore me if it’s something he WANTS me to do.

“What do you need?” I asked. He pulled out a piece of paper out of his jacket and handed it to me.

“This is the address of my business associate. He has a shipment ready for me and I need you to go pick it up. Take some goons with you, and don’t worry about paying, I already sent him his payment.” My dad said before turning back to yell at the builders about their color choice. I gestured for some goons to follow me, and we took one of my dads trucks.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
  


The address my dad gave me led to a covert base underneath one of Gotham’s many clubs. The goons and I took an elevator down to the base after confirming who we were with the guard. The elevator opened up into what looked like a bomb shelter. There were men carrying weapons and bombs all over the base as a slimy looking guy smoking a cigar gave orders in the middle of it all. I assumed this was the guy. The goons followed me as I approached the man.

“I’m here for the Joker’s shipment.” I said in the most intimidating voice I could. The guy took the cigar out of his mouth and smiled at me creepily. 

“You must be cherry bomb! A pleasure to meet you miss. I have your father’s shipment right here.” He said, snapping at his men. They brought several crates over and I gestured for the goons to get the crates. The man kept looking me up and down and it was creeping me out. I was 15 for heavens sake! I couldn’t wait to get out of here and go back home.

“So I know my dad said he already paid you, but what did he pay you with?” I asked while the goons took a load up to the truck. The man grabbed my arm harshly and I whipped my head around to find his face way too close to my own.

“You.” He said. Suddenly a cloth was put over my mouth and I struggled to get away as my vision faded to black.


	3. Strawberry Shortcake

It was cold in the room I was in, sitting on the floor against the wall with my knees tucked into my chest. The thin blanket I had wrapped around myself did little for my uncontrollable shaking. I couldn’t stop shaking. I’ve dealt with problems worse than some pedo getting his way with me, so why did this bother me so much? Was it because my dad willingly gave me to him? Was it because I felt so powerless? Or was it because I had never felt so exposed and violated before. It didn’t matter anyways, his body was slumped against the wall with 3 bullet holes through the head, blood splattered around him. Some of his blood had gotten on my face, but I couldn’t bring myself to wipe it off. I was too scared to move, too scared to speak, too scared to even breathe. It’s like I was afraid if I moved an inch he would come back to life and take me again. It hurt, a lot. And I bled a lot down there, because I had never done this before. This definitely was not what I wanted my first time to be like. My wrists were raw and sore from where he tied me to the bed because I wouldn’t stop kicking and screaming. My clothes were on the other side of the room, I hadn’t put them back on yet. Under the thin blanket, I was bloody, bruised, and completely exposed. My braids were a mess and my makeup was running because of my tears. He had left so many marks on me. It was disgusting. I was disgusting. I knew I had to get out of there eventually, but I couldn’t bring myself to move. The room was entirely silent expect for my shaky breathing and quiet whimpers. I didn’t know what to do. I could call my dad, but he’s the one that gave me to this creep in the first place. I could wait for someone to find me, but then I run the risk of some other creep finding me. I stayed like that for several hours before I heard shouting in the hallways, and gun shots. I whipped my head up and held my breath, silently praying it was a good guy that would help me. I heard the door handle jingle, signaling that someone was trying to get through the locked door. It stopped for a moment before the door was kicked open. In the doorway stood the Red Hood. Sort of a good guy. He noticed the dead pedo and stalked up to him. He was looking him over, most likely trying to figure out what happened to him. I couldn’t hold my breath anymore and I let out a shaky breath. His head snapped around and his gaze fell on me. He stared for a moment before he shot up and pulled his guns out.

“You’re the clown’s psycho kid!” He said pointing the gun at me. I nodded my head slightly and took a shaky breath.

“Yeah, I am.” I said with a raspy voice. Anyone in their right mind could tell something was off by the sound of my voice. He lowered his gun slightly before looking around, his gaze shifting between me, my clothes, and the large blood stain on the bed. He seemed to piece everything together and he sighed, putting away his gun.

“Jesus kid, I know you’re crazy, but why the helm would you agree to this?” He asked. My grip on the blanket tightened and my gaze fell.

“I didn’t.” I quietly said. He seemed confused for a moment before realization set upon him. He turned to the already long dead man and pulled out his gun, shooting him in the crotch several times.

“Damn pedophiles all belong 6 feet under.” He growled out, before putting his gun away. He came over and knelt in front of me, causing me to look around frantically looking for a weapon. No matter what was happening, he was still my enemy. He held his hands up and backed up slightly. “Relax. I’m not gonna hurt you. Right now we’re not enemies.” He said. I stopped whipping my head around like a meerkat and just stared at him. My shaking hadn’t stopped. “Are you ok?” He asked quietly. I shook my head.

“Of course I’m fine, I’m the Joker’s daughter, I…..maybe, I’ve just never…...This hasn’t…….I-I don’t know.” I spurt out, my voice cracking. Red Hood sighed before standing up and walking over to my clothes, picking them up.

“Does your dad know you’re here?” He asked. I hesitated before nodding. 

“He knows. He used me as payment for a weapons shipment.” I said. Red Hood froze. He cursed under his breath.

“I hate that damn clown.” He said before turning to me. “Well, get up.” He said. I stood up slowly, still clutching the blanket around me. 

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“Somewhere that can help you.” He said. I shook my head no, stepping back slightly.

“I can’t go with you.” I said. Dad would kill me if I accepted help from a hero. And I mean that literally. Red Hood sighed annoyed.

“Do you really want to run back to daddy dearest after he willingly sold you as a sex slave?” He asked harshly. Did I want to go back? If my dad gave me away once, he’ll do it again. He doesn’t love me, he rarely even remembers my name. He was…...a bad person. I’m starting to think I should have left with mom. I shook my head no. Red Hood held his hand out to me.

“Then come on.” He said. I hesitated slightly before taking his hand. His grip on me tightened slightly and he swiftly led us through the door. The hallways were lined with dead bodies and I had to step over several people as Hood pulled me along. We ended up in the main storage room again and I saw the other vigilante,, Nightwing, tying up some of the goons that were still alive.

“Nightwing! We got a situation.” Red Hood said going up to Nightwing and pulling me with him. I fought against him slightly, intimidated by the two heroes in front of me. I didn’t have any of my weapons with me. I was powerless. Nightwing turned to face Red Hood and his face shifted when his eyes landed on me.

“What…” He started, but Red Hood cut him off.

“The Joker’s even lower than we thought, that’s what!” He said harshly, letting go of my hand. I stepped back slightly, my knuckles turning white from how hard I was gripping the blanket around me. “He sold the kid for a weapons stash!” Hood yelled. Nightwing’s eye slits widened and he ran a hand through his hair.

“Jesus, his own daughter?” He asked appalled. Red Hood nodded, clenching his fists.

“I don’t know what to do with her, the kid’s traumatized, we can’t just dump her in Arkham.” Hood said quietly to Nightwing. 

“She’s still a wanted criminal.” Nightwing said. At this point I had sank to the floor because it hurt to stand.

“If this is what being bad means I have to do, the. I don’t think I want to be bad anymore.” I said shakily, looking up at the two vigilantes. They looked at each other before Nightwing sighed.

“Alright, but you gotta put your clothes back on.” He said. Red Hood handed me my clothes and I ducked behind a crate to change. I stepped out again, my arms wrapped around my exposed stomach.

“Hey, uh, do either of you have a hoodie or something? I feel really exposed.”


	4. Talia

I sat in a chair next to the commissioner's desk. I was mostly covered because Red Hood gave me his jacket to wear after I asked for a hoodie, saying I could give it back the next time I saw him. When Red Hood and Nightwing dropped me off at the police station, they left me with Jim Gordon, the police commissioner. To say it was awkward was an understatement cause Gordon had many grievances with me. They explained the situation to him and left, annoying Gordon because he “had dealt with enough screwed up kids for a lifetime”. He then proceeded to order me to sit in this chair and not touch anything. He put this detective, Dick Grayson, in charge of me because apparently Grayson is good with kids. He had me tell him what happened in an interrogation room and then brought me back here. And now he and Gordon were arguing. Quite loudly.

“We can’t just let her go scott free, she’s wanted of multiple felonies!” Gordon yelled, slamming his hand on his desk. Detective Grayson stood up, putting his hands on the desk.

“She’s a traumatized kid that did whatever she had to do to earn her parents approval! This is an obvious case of abuse and neglect!” Grayson yelled. He seemed really passionate about my case, like it was personal to him.

“What do you want me to do Grayson, bring the Joker in for a court date? You know that’s not possible!” Gordon said, rubbing a hand over his face, obviously annoyed. 

“Get her a foster family, or an adopted parent that can handle her during rehabilitation.” Detective Grayson said. I frowned at this. A foster family meant rules, which I do not like to follow. But depending on who it is I could probably take charge.

“Who in Gotham would willingly adopt a psychotic teenager with a crazed clown for a parent!” Gordon yelled. My head popped up when I thought of someone who might.

“What about Bruce Wayne? He adopts fucked up kids all the time.” I said. Detective Grayson gestured to me violently.

“Exactly!” he said. Gordon sighed.

“Wayne adopted kids with rough childhoods, not an extensive criminal record.” Gordon said. 

“What do you call her childhood then, huh? A walk in the park? At least call him Gordon.” Grayson pleaded. They stared each other down for a moment before Gordon sighed, defeated.

“Allright, fine, I’ll call him, but if he doesn’t accept I’m sending her to Arkham.” Gordon said, dialing a number on the police phone. I froze. There was a high probability that Bruce Wayne would refuse, and there’s no way in hell I’m letting them send me to Arkham. So I had two options: run the risk of possibly getting a life sentence in Arkham, OR make a run for it. Obviously, I chose the latter. While detective Grayson was busy handling Gordon, I quietly slipped out of the chair and quickly headed to the exit of the GCPD. Surprisingly, no cops paid any mind to me.No wonder this city needed Batman, the cops were shit at their job. When I got to the door, I heard Gordon yell.

“Dammit, where’d she go?!” he yelled. I took that as my cue to leave and burst out the door, running as fast as I could on an injured foot. I wove through different alleyways until I was far enough away that they would lose my trail. I came to a stop, breathing heavily. Looking around, I recognized where I was. I had ended up in the east side. Taking my time, I started walking towards a bodega I frequently visited, Happy China. I had no weapons on me and I needed to restock. Finally getting to Happy China, I pushed the door open and walked in, hearing the chime of the bell on the door.

“Hey Mrs. Chen.” I said, walking past the register with an old woman sitting at it.

“You look like shit.” Mrs. Chen said. I hadn’t bothered to fix any of my makeup or hide all the marks on my body. I turned to look at Mrs. Chen.

“And you look radiant as ever.” I said sarcastically, turning to head to the back of the store. Going around one of the middle aisles, I came to the section with the self defense weapons. The stash included pepper spray, pocket knives, hunting knives, a taser, and an axe. I was never good at hand-to-hand combat, but Mrs. Chen didn’t have any guns, so I would have to make due. Picking up a hunting knife and a taser, I started heading towards the register, stopping when I heard a gruff voice.

“The rent’s due Chen.” the gruff voice said. I peaked my head around the corner to see a big man pointing a gun at Mrs. Chen while she quickly took money out of the register. I scowled. Sure Mrs. Chen was kinda rude sometimes, but she was a good person. Taking the hunting knife out of its packaging, I stormed up to the guy.

“Hey panini head!” I shouted. The man turned around and before he could do anything, I slit his throat with the knife. He fell to the floor, blood spurting out of his neck. His gun clattered to the floor and I raised my eyebrows, stooping down to pick it up. “Thanks for the gun panini head.” I said. I dug around in my pocket for some cash.

“Tulip, what was that?” Mrs. Chen asked surprised. I hissed as I put the money on the counter.

“Ooooo, yeah, sorry ‘bout that. I’m rehabilitating.” I said, shrugging my shoulders. I put the knife and the taser into my belt pocket and stored the gun in my holster. I left the bodega and went into the alleyway next to it. I scaled the fire escape and climbed onto the roof of the building. Looking out at the Gotham skyline, I sat on the edge of the roof, my feet dangling over the side. I needed to figure out a strategy because I had never been on my own before. I didn’t know where to go. I can’t go back to my dad, but I wasn’t gonna risk going to Arkham by asking the cops for help. I was free, I could do whatever I wanted, yet there was nothing I wanted to do. I’m just a kid really. What am I gonna do. I heard someone climbing the fire escape and my hand rushed to my gun. I waited a few seconds and saw a mop of black hair pop up as detective Grayson heaved himself onto the roof.

“Damn, you are a hard person to find.” he said, bracing his hands on his knees while panting. I pulled my gun out and pointed it at him.

“Don’t come any closer, or it’s gonna get ugly!” I said. Grayson stared me down.

“You don’t want to do that.” he said. I scowled. 

“And why the hell not.” I said. He pointed at my gun.

“Because of the fact that you never go anywhere without some sort of gun proves that you don’t know hand-to-hand combat, that’s not your usual gun so you’re not used to it, I know how to disarm you in a second flat, and I just want to talk.” he said, holding his hands up. I sighed and lowered the gun.

“Well gee aren’t you smart.” I said sarcastically, putting the gun back in my holster. Grayson chuckled.

“They didn’t give me the title detective for nothing.” he said. I continued to stare out at the horizon, my elbows resting on my knees. Detective Grayson came and sat next to me on the roof edge. We sat in silence for a moment before he spoke.

“So why did you run away?” he asked, his head turning to look at me. I shrugged half-heartedly.

“Didn’t want to go to Arkham.” I stated, swinging my legs slightly.

“But that was just a last resort if we couldn’t find you a foster parent.” Grayson said. I sighed.

“No family could handle me, not even Bruce Wayne and his gaggle of adopted kids.” I said. Grayson smiled slightly.

“You’d be surprised at how well Bruce handles troubled kids.” he said. I didn’t respond. Maybe he was right, maybe Bruce Wayne would be a good parent, but that doesn’t mean I could be a good kid. I grew up in chaos. Would I be able to live in peace? “You hungry?” Grayson asked. I glanced at him.

“Maybe. Why?”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Detective Grayson took me to this hole-in-the-wall diner. It was bright and cheery and all the waitresses had phoney smiles on their faces. I hated it. I was sat across from Detective Grayson, feeling like I was in the interrogation room again. A waitress suddenly appeared at our table, making me jump slightly.

“Hi there, welcome to Mel’s Diner, what can I get for y’all?” the waitress asked, leaning over towards detective Grayson so her boobs stuck out. I cringed at how desperate she was. 

“I’ll just have the garden salad and a coffee please. What do you want Tulip?” Grayson asked me. I stuck my hands into the pockets on Red Hood’s jacket and lowered my head slightly.

“Peanut butter and jelly, and a Shirley Temple.” I mumbled. Grayson leaned across the table slightly.

“Come again?” he asked. My face turned red in embarrassment. God, I sounded like such a kid.

“Peanut butter and jelly. And Shirley Temple.” I said slightly louder. Grayson looked somewhat surprised but shook it off and repeated my order to the waitress. She left and Grayson settled back into his seat.

“So, want to tell me about your parents?” he asked, folding his hands together on the table. I sat back in the chair.

“Not much to tell. Mom mostly took care of me while my dad just acknowledged my existence.” I said. Grayson hmmed.

“Your mom’s Harleen Quinzel right? Is she a good mom?” he asked. I shrugged.

“I don’t know. She left dad and I a few years ago, but before that she was ok. Yeah, she wasn’t the best, but she took care of me, acted like I was her pride and joy. She actually loved me. And then she left. She didn’t take me with her. At the time I didn’t want to. I was so mad at her for leaving that I took my dad’s side.” I said. Detective Grayson watched me tentatively while I talked.

“How did your dad change when Harleen left?” he asked. 

“Not much really. He started training me though, to make me more like her I guess.” I said. The waitress came back with our food and Grayson thanked her. I picked up my sandwich and pulled the crust off of it. I looked up to see Grayson looking at me strangely. My face flushed as I put the crust down quickly.

“I don’t like the crust.” I mumbled, taking a bite out of the sandwich. Grayson nodded but didn’t say anything.

“Do you miss your mom?” he asked cautiously. I remembered when my mom would cut the crusts off of my sandwiches for me because it was a lot neater when she did it. I felt a tear fall on my cheek.

“Yeah, I do. I miss her a lot. I don’t know where she went, hell, knowing her, I don’t even know if she’s still alive.” I said. Grayson reached over and wiped the tear away.

“It’s ok, maybe we can try and find her.” he said. Suddenly his phone rang and he answered it quickly. I couldn’t tell who was on the other side, but considering Grayson’s face, I assumed it was good. He hung up the phone and turned to me with a big smile.

“Bruce Wayne accepted.”

  
  



End file.
